Royal Teeth: “Heartbeats”

October 12, 2012 5:09 am by: Paul Carrubba

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When you think New Orleans, you don’t necessarily think indie dance-pop. But then again, it’s always been the quintessential American melting pot. So it’s not so surprising that a band like Royal Teeth would rise from a place like the Crescent City.

Royal Teeth have only been together for a fairly short while (in band terms, at least), but in a scant couple of years they’ve made some major waves. CNN featured the band in its coverage of this year’s SXSW (after reading about the band on Twitter no less). They inked a deal with L.A.’s Dangerbird Records, and this summer they toured with labelmates Fitz and the Tantrums.

The band’s six members hail from all over southern Louisiana. The band got together through the usual web of friends and players particular to musicians. Guitarist Gary Larsen and bassist Josh Wells were roommates. Wells, percussionist Josh Hefner and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Poe played together previously. The band gelled with the addition of singer Nora Patterson, who never played with a band before she met Royal Teeth.

The band released their debut EP Act Naturally this past spring. The record’s six songs are sticky bits of synth-y, dance pop. It even includes a cover of The Knife’s hit “Heartbeats” that Royal Teeth really make their own. The sound may not be quite New Orleans, but that kind of makes it quintessentially New Orleans.

Royal Teeth is one of the many, many bands that will be hanging out down at Zilker Park this weekend for ACL Fest. They’ll be playing Sunday at 12:15 p.m. on the BMI stage.

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